After much excitement and thought, I decided to just go ahead and try using reference footage in Blender, even though I didn’t really know how it would all work. I started by setting up two cameras: one camera from the front with the other at a 90 degree angle (side). I was looking for a few things while setting up the shot. 1. I wanted my subject to be distinguishable from the background. Ideally I would have set up white sheets behind my little brother (my subject), but what we had worked fine. Another aspect to this was lighting, which compensated for my lack of a solid background. 2. I was looking for enough space. I needed room above my subjects head and below his feet – enough for him to move around and jump without going off screen. 3. I tried to think of myself working in blender and what things I could do to make the process easier. I figured out that I should put the camera at about his chest area because that’s usually how I have my view in blender set up (ortho). (Also, I made sure that when my subject was in the middle of one camera, he was also in the middle of the other camera horizontally and then marked that spot for a reference.)
After getting the shots my next decision came: do I try to use both videos separately? Or should I edit them together and cut off some of the screen space to make it easier. I didn’t know how this whole thing would work in Blender, but it was all a learning experience to just get me to try this process out. So, for simplicity in Blender, I imported the video files into Adobe Premiere and started editing. During the shoot, I made sure to clap my hands on screen to have an easy way to time both shots. After getting them timed, I brought both of them to about 75% size and placed them next to each other. The front angle to the left and the side angle to the right (overlapping the front). Then, I took the overlapping video and added a 4 point garbage matte effect to it and made the overlapping video cut off in the middle so that both videos were cut equally. I exported as a .mpeg.
I looked up a tutorial that I previously posted on here, the Blender and Voodoo tutorial. I remembered that tutorial covering how to import a video and play it during an animation. What I had to do is add a background image and choose movie. Also, I made sure to click auto refresh or something like that to make sure that the video frame changed when the frame of my animation changed. It didn’t work. After restarting and going through the tutorial 5 more times, I tried something that I noticed was different from my screen and the screen of the tutorial. It worked! In blender, your video doesn’t show up unless you are viewing an Orthographic Perspective. Mine was set to User Perspective. Another thing to mention, is the video didn’t show up in any other windows. I was thinking that I could have done what I had planned on doing from the beginning: take two separate reference video files and have them in different angled windows. So, I would guess that if you open two separate background images in different windows, the process would be the same.
Next, I changed the size of the videos. In the Background Image Properties window, I changed the percentage of the size down to fit the size of my character. Then, when I zoomed in, the quality of my video was not compromised at all! So, I had my front angle to the left, my side angle to the right, and I put my character right in the middle of them where the video split. It was difficult to see the rig controls with all of the distracting colors from the video in the background, but I got over it. Now, every time I turned the camera in that window, the reference footage would disappear, but I would then just change back to a front (ortho) perspective to get it back. My last test before I started animating was to see if I could cover the other angle; it wasn’t looking too bright, because when I rotated my view the reference footage disappeared. I tried switching to a side angle (ortho) and it worked!! I was so proud of how easy everything was in Blender. Now, I could simply change angles and my character, in between both reference subjects would just turn to the side. It was perfect.
A few notes that I had from my first experience with reference footage..
I set up my cameras looking the wrong way. I had a camera from the front and to the left of my brother. I should have had a camera to the right of him so that when I changed angles in blender, I wouldn’t have to hold ctrl to get the other side, but it wasn’t that much of an extra burden. Another thing that I did incorrectly at first was set my brothers feet facing down. Like in a cartoon, if a foot is facing you, it points down a little and is lower than a foot behind it. I knew this wasn’t right, but I did it anyway. When I thought about it, my real camera was NOT an orthographic perspective, but a user perspective. When I changed my 3d view to User, the feet could be flat on the surface in Ortho and look like they were facing down and one higher than the other in User, like my reference footage. So, bear in mind that you won’t be working with orthographic footage if you use any normal camera. My last note is on keyframing. I decided to treat the animation like pose-to-pose rather than straight ahead. I started with straight ahead and it was taking forever. What I looked for in pose-to-pose was any change in movement or direction with different parts of the body. When I found a shift, I would set a keyframe. For instance, when my brother jumped, I chose the highest point in the air for a keyframe, but in mid air, his arms came up with his body and halfway through the jump stopped while his body kept moving higher. Because his arms significantly changed in movement, I set a keyframe there as well. After the main movements were keyframed, I could go back and work on more subtle things like some facial animation and other movements. (I didn’t do much with that yet because this was just a test, but it seems to be the best workflow for this type of thing.)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Economics!
This is a list of the nine economical ways that animation an build emotions in the imagination of the audience:
1. Rear View – for the audience to get inside the characters’ heads
2. Shadows – for suspense, drama, and interest
3. Shadows Over The Character – for excitement and dramatic action
4. Overlays – for adding depth to the situation through the movement of things other than the character (almost personified)
5. Dramatic Layout – for the portrayal of feelings of a character through the layout
6. Pictoral Shot – for setting a mood and saving yourself difficult animation through the use of an establishing shot
7. Effects Animation – for creating strong feelings by the animation equivalent of particle system effects
8. Held Drawings With Camera Moves – for strengthening expressions beyond what is normally possible
9. Offstage Sounds – for telling a story and or enhancing a story by sounds rather than or in addition to animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2uuEOV5PhI
Shadows are used heavily to dramatize the shots, as well as overlays and effects though the names over people’s heads and gun shots. Held drawings with camera moves are used, however the frames are not still.
Points to remember when animating emotions:
1. Make sure the emotional state of the character is clearly defined.
2. The thought process reveals feeling. Sometimes it can be shown with a single, held drawing or a simple move. Other times, there should be gestures, body moves, or full action. Determine which is best in each case.
3.Be alert to use of cutting and camera in helping to accentuate the emotion.
4. Ask yourself constantly:
What am I trying to say here?
What do I really want to show?
How do I want the audience to react?
5. Use the element of time wisely:
To establish the emotion of the character,
To convey it to the viewers,
To let them savor the situation.
Don’t be ponderous, but take it away from them just as they start to enjoy it.
1. Rear View – for the audience to get inside the characters’ heads
2. Shadows – for suspense, drama, and interest
3. Shadows Over The Character – for excitement and dramatic action
4. Overlays – for adding depth to the situation through the movement of things other than the character (almost personified)
5. Dramatic Layout – for the portrayal of feelings of a character through the layout
6. Pictoral Shot – for setting a mood and saving yourself difficult animation through the use of an establishing shot
7. Effects Animation – for creating strong feelings by the animation equivalent of particle system effects
8. Held Drawings With Camera Moves – for strengthening expressions beyond what is normally possible
9. Offstage Sounds – for telling a story and or enhancing a story by sounds rather than or in addition to animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2uuEOV5PhI
Shadows are used heavily to dramatize the shots, as well as overlays and effects though the names over people’s heads and gun shots. Held drawings with camera moves are used, however the frames are not still.
Points to remember when animating emotions:
1. Make sure the emotional state of the character is clearly defined.
2. The thought process reveals feeling. Sometimes it can be shown with a single, held drawing or a simple move. Other times, there should be gestures, body moves, or full action. Determine which is best in each case.
3.Be alert to use of cutting and camera in helping to accentuate the emotion.
4. Ask yourself constantly:
What am I trying to say here?
What do I really want to show?
How do I want the audience to react?
5. Use the element of time wisely:
To establish the emotion of the character,
To convey it to the viewers,
To let them savor the situation.
Don’t be ponderous, but take it away from them just as they start to enjoy it.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Rules and Guidlines of Animation
1. Appeal in drawing
Does this drawing appeal to an audience. (is it likeable)
2. Staging
Make sure that everything around looks good with the scene including the placement of the characters. (Interaction with stage)
3. Most interesting way? [Would anyone other than your mother like to see it?]
This one is great. Get your head out of the fact that you just created something and observe it as you would anything else that you would watch. Critique it like it's not yours. Is it plain or interesting? (Like appeal)
4. Is it the most entertaining way?
Could the same thing happen in a different way to entertain the audience more than it does now?
5. Are you in character?
Are you thinking as if you are the character?
6. Are you advancing the character?
Is the audience learning anything about the character?
7. Is this the simplest statement of the main idea of the scene?
Are you complicating a simple idea?
8. Is the story point clear?
You know why this is happening; will the audience know?
9. Are the secondary actions working with the main action?
The secondary actions are to supplement the main action, not fight against it for attention.
10. Is the presentation best for the medium?
Are you trying to do something that is not best suited for paint, pencil, marker, this kind of paper, etc.
11. Does it have 2 dimensional clarity?
Does the silhouette make sense?
12. Does it have 3 dimensional solidity?
Does everything look 3d equally?
13. Does it have 4 dimensional drawing? [Drag and follow through]
This is like squash and stretch over time, bringing a cutout circle to life by thinking outside of the box.
14. Are you trying to do something that shouldn't be attempted? [Like trying to show the top of Mickey's head]
Is it necessary to be attempting this? Could this be done in another way and be just as effective?
1. Inner feelings and emotion
Are the feelings and emotions of the character showing through?
2. Acting with clear and definite action
Does this look like a deliberate action or an accidental one?
3. Character and personality
Does this character have a distinguishable set of character traits and personality?
4. Thought process through expression changes
Can we see into the character's mind by watching mind turn?
5. Ability to analyze
Does the character show life through the ability to judge and analyze things for him/her self?
6. Clear staging
Is everything placed for a reason? Is it balanced and realistic? (Not realism)
7. Good composition
Does everything work together harmoniously?
8. Timing
Is the timing realistic and does everything work together?
9. Solidity in drawing
Does everything stay looking solid? Don't make things incongruent over a period of time.
10. Power in drawing
Don't make the scene or anything in it look weak unless intentional and or balanced by something strong.
11. Strength in movement
Are the actions of movement looking deliberate or accidental?
12. Imagination
This is an animation: are you getting the most out of it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUl0EPwo4ds This first example shows beautiful staging in very interesting and unique ways. I'd like to talk about how this uses the 4th dimension. A popular technique, time remapping, adds to this 4th dimension. It's like the classic drag and follow through the medium of time instead of actually seeing it. This allows for the equivalent of a drag and follow through to be applied to realistic a medium like film. Every aspect in the first list is covered well here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByMZYcDk18M In this example, more of the character points are covered, but it also covers the other points as well. The staging and interaction with it is great in the fight scenes. Also, the words and attitudes from the voice acting to facial expressions to the way that the characters move when they fight shows advancement of character and all of the other things on the second list.
Does this drawing appeal to an audience. (is it likeable)
2. Staging
Make sure that everything around looks good with the scene including the placement of the characters. (Interaction with stage)
3. Most interesting way? [Would anyone other than your mother like to see it?]
This one is great. Get your head out of the fact that you just created something and observe it as you would anything else that you would watch. Critique it like it's not yours. Is it plain or interesting? (Like appeal)
4. Is it the most entertaining way?
Could the same thing happen in a different way to entertain the audience more than it does now?
5. Are you in character?
Are you thinking as if you are the character?
6. Are you advancing the character?
Is the audience learning anything about the character?
7. Is this the simplest statement of the main idea of the scene?
Are you complicating a simple idea?
8. Is the story point clear?
You know why this is happening; will the audience know?
9. Are the secondary actions working with the main action?
The secondary actions are to supplement the main action, not fight against it for attention.
10. Is the presentation best for the medium?
Are you trying to do something that is not best suited for paint, pencil, marker, this kind of paper, etc.
11. Does it have 2 dimensional clarity?
Does the silhouette make sense?
12. Does it have 3 dimensional solidity?
Does everything look 3d equally?
13. Does it have 4 dimensional drawing? [Drag and follow through]
This is like squash and stretch over time, bringing a cutout circle to life by thinking outside of the box.
14. Are you trying to do something that shouldn't be attempted? [Like trying to show the top of Mickey's head]
Is it necessary to be attempting this? Could this be done in another way and be just as effective?
1. Inner feelings and emotion
Are the feelings and emotions of the character showing through?
2. Acting with clear and definite action
Does this look like a deliberate action or an accidental one?
3. Character and personality
Does this character have a distinguishable set of character traits and personality?
4. Thought process through expression changes
Can we see into the character's mind by watching mind turn?
5. Ability to analyze
Does the character show life through the ability to judge and analyze things for him/her self?
6. Clear staging
Is everything placed for a reason? Is it balanced and realistic? (Not realism)
7. Good composition
Does everything work together harmoniously?
8. Timing
Is the timing realistic and does everything work together?
9. Solidity in drawing
Does everything stay looking solid? Don't make things incongruent over a period of time.
10. Power in drawing
Don't make the scene or anything in it look weak unless intentional and or balanced by something strong.
11. Strength in movement
Are the actions of movement looking deliberate or accidental?
12. Imagination
This is an animation: are you getting the most out of it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUl0EPwo4ds This first example shows beautiful staging in very interesting and unique ways. I'd like to talk about how this uses the 4th dimension. A popular technique, time remapping, adds to this 4th dimension. It's like the classic drag and follow through the medium of time instead of actually seeing it. This allows for the equivalent of a drag and follow through to be applied to realistic a medium like film. Every aspect in the first list is covered well here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByMZYcDk18M In this example, more of the character points are covered, but it also covers the other points as well. The staging and interaction with it is great in the fight scenes. Also, the words and attitudes from the voice acting to facial expressions to the way that the characters move when they fight shows advancement of character and all of the other things on the second list.
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